1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of automotive accessories and in particular relates to interior sunshades used on windows within automobiles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The growing trend in compact and mini-cars has resulted in a new generation of automobiles characterized by large rear windows of a hatch-back or fast-back design. Typically, the automobile manufacturer offers no solution to the problem of direct sunlight or heat exposure to the rear passenger seats or compartment area. After-market louvered sunshades are available, but such exterior sunshades must be custom mounted either by the dealer or skilled mechanic; require a separate model for each automobile; are often distracting or unsightly in appearance; and are expensive. In addition, with an exterior sunshade, cleaning of the window is inconvenient and is required more often than is cleaning of the inside surface of the window.
The prior art has long utilized interior automobile sunshades which to some extent avoid part of the short-comings of exterior sunshades now in popular use. For example, M. A. Stanfield, "Blind for Automobile Windows", U.S. Pat. No. 2,349,470 shows as interior automobile sunshade having fixed, riveted louvers attached to a pair of vertical rails inserted between the glass and the adjacent rubber insulation. See also R. C. Kramer, "Blind for Motor Vehicles", U.S. Pat. No. 2,210,624. Other prior art adaptions have been devised a plurality of ganged louvers which move in unison under the operation of a linkage bar and which are otherwise frame of an automobile, C. A. Digby, "Adjustable Blind for Windows", U.S. Pat. No. 2,485,263. In some cases, the means for attaching the adjustable blinds to an automobile windshield is so inconvenient that the window itself is completely replaced by a movable sunshade such as shown by L. G. Brown, "Sunshade", U.S. Pat. No. 2,119,803 and M. Shiota, "Securing Means for Sunshade Screens for Automobiles or the Like", U.S. Pat. No. 3,142,506.
What is needed then is an automobile accessory sunshade which is universal such that it fits most cars which have a relatively flat rear window including hatchbacks, fast-backs, sports cars, family sedans and station wagons with one piece lift-up tail gates. In addition, such accessories should have adjustable louvers to assure that the louvers can be placed in horizontal position for maximum visibility and good appearance regardless of the inclination of the window. What is further needed is a design which can be easily sold in kit form, cut to fit, installed and adjusted by the ordinary consumer without the need for special tools or skills. The design should also be such that after installation, the louvers can be easily removed for cleaning of the rear window. In addition, there is a need for such an accessory sunshade that can be secured to the rear window glass of an automobile in a manner such that accidental release of the louvers is prevented. Finally, the design must also be simple and inexpensive enough to manufacture, using standard and readily available materials, so that the resulting accessory is readily affordable.